We want to switch from our existing POS system that also has a web shopping interface (EffortlessE). Before that, we used Zen-Cart.
Here's what we want: Some quick feedback on UberCart vs. the drupal E-Commerce module(s). I know UberCart is supposed to be simpler, and I know earlier versions of E-Commerce didn't do complex product options well. However, now that we're at drupal 5, I'm wondering if (a) E-commerce for drupal 5 has features more like a full-fledged ecommerce system including complex product options; and (b) is E-commerce or UberCart a smarter way to go, from an architecture and flexibility standpoint. We're building an elaborate site, and I want to be a geek about the architecture of it -- i.e., I want to use best practices and most logical approaches to the modules and overall integration of the site. So, is UberCart a good way to go; does it achieve features by cheating the drupal system or failing to integrate? Is E-Commerce still too limited, or is it really powerful, but just requires a learning curve to be very powerful (that's how drupal works overall anyway, and it's worth it for how good and rational and extensible it is, so I don't mind dealing with a learning curve)? I've already transitioned between too many ecommerce systems, and want to avoid doing it too many more times. I want to build a great system I can grow over time, but has power now too (I can't wait forever for basic ecommerce features).
We are intending to use CiviCRM too. We can wait for integration with that, if both will implement it eventually.
So, the other question I have feeds into the above request for advice: We need to ultimately have whichever one we choose be able to grow into a POS system as well. Our POS will need to be usable in multiple store locations (we have several brick and mortar stores). I know that someone was talking about UberCart being customized for POS, but I understand that hasn't happened yet. We can wait a few months, but would probably need the POS at least partially functional by September 2007.
We would be willing to hire someone to create the POS functionality (on whichever of the two drupal carts is a better way to go long-term for the above needs and for POS), or chip in with other businesses to make it happen. Anyone willing to do this? Not to be pushy, but we need an answer in the next few days.
Thanks in advance.
Comments
E-Commerce vs POS
How will you deal with network outage/single point of failure risk? SKU/PLU lookups? Scannable coupons? Inventory management? Till management/cash transactions? Suspending/resuming/transferring transactions? Cashier tracking?
It can be argued that your use cases can be accommodated by configuring workarounds in the e-commerce system. The tradeoff between using a dedicated POS application vs customizing an e-commerce application is questionable.
Yes, I've chatted briefly
Yes, I've chatted briefly about supporting a POS system with Ubercart. For our part, I will say that our system is fully integrated with Drupal... no cheating/hacks or "what-were-they-thinking" pieces of code at all. ; ) There are a few issues w/ CSS laying about, and those will be fixed as soon as I have the time or someone posts up a patch.
The latest Alpha version has taken huge steps forward in terms of configuration menu usability and product flexibility. Our product class system still works, it just does it by creating new content types specifically for products on the fly. Ubercart can now fully integrate any number of product content types with all those other handy Drupal modules like CCK, Views, etc.
I'm going to chat with the team today about how much it would take us to get this working, but I think there's already a good chance we can do it and you could combine your contribution with other companies so you aren't having to support the development yourself.
What'd be great is for you to get an account at the Livetest and PM me the name through Ubercart.org so I can hook you up with store admin status. No point in talking more about POS integration if you end up not liking the interfaces. : ) I've been trying to tailor them for our phone support staff which is how we do a lot of our sales, so by turning off a few features unnecessary for card present/store pickup transactions you could probably use Ubercart almost as is. (With maybe a single module that handles the integration w/ devices like a scanner, if you even use that to ring up your sales.)
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Current Drupal project: http://www.ubercart.org
ubercart vs. e-commerce
I'll have to start off by agreeing that there are some major hurdles you have to consider if you're going to try to apply e-commerce or ubercart in a POS setting.
That said, if you're going to spend the time to do this right, I'd definitely head the ubercart route. I'm really sorry to say that e-commerce is a complete joke when it comes to presentation and customization. In my experience, you either use e-commerce in the limited fashion that most people use it in, or you spend all your time wrestling with irritating (and not so well thought out) aspects of the user/administrator experience. Just as an example (which may not apply to you), if I were to create a site that sold a single product and didn't require the user to register to check out, my customer would be forced to enter a shipping and billing address for the transaction (no option to use the same address for both), the cart would ignore the default country (so the user would have to select their country TWICE unless they live in Afghanistan), and if they type their ZIP code in incorrectly (or neglect to fill in both forms) the shipping APIs will spit back unreadable errors that are not dealt with AT ALL by the module.
Many people will read this and want to say "well, you can easily fix that by adding ...... to ***.php", but when you figure out that you have to modify EVERYTHING at least a little bit just to get a usable and coherent interface, you realize you might as well have hired a programmer to develop something from scratch. Not to mention dealing with upgrades after you've tweaked just about all the E-Commerce source you can think of.
Ubercart, although they have yet to develop many of the API features that E-commerce claims to support (such as pay-pal, USPS, etc.) seems to me to be a much more advanced and thoughtfully developed module than E-commerce, even tho Ubercart is still in ALPHA! and E-commerce claims to be in 3.0 territory.
Sorry for the rambling, but do yourself a favor and decide between Ubercart and a dedicated POS system. Save yourself the headaches of realizing E-commerce couldn't even win a B- in a high school php class, let alone earn your respect in the real world.
Which would work better for digital download service?
I just need to make downloads immediately available after purchase and I am wondering which product would be server this need.
Or would something like quickfile work better?
I want to use paypal website pro (I think) for payment processing...
CpILL has contributed a File
CpILL has contributed a File Product module that lets users download files after purchase. You can combine this w/ the PayPal module that's packaged w/ Alpha 7+ to use credit card checkout on your site and Website Payments Pro. You can probably use Quickfile just fine, the problem is that as far as I know it only allows redirected payment, not Website Payments Pro (which is for remote payment or Express Checkout).
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Current Drupal project: http://www.ubercart.org
ZenCART and MS RMS
A ways back i started a project to integrate ZenCART (best e-comm solution in my opinion) with the popular MicroSoft RMS POS solution. The intended result was to use the multiple real stores db in RMS as the db for the e-comm solution. Additional features would support such things as geo targetted shipping - so that online order would get directed to closest real store for processing.
We didn't get too far out of concept stage for this product - but just out of curiosity (and the thought that i should be reviving this project) does this sound like it would be of use in your application?
Peter Lindstrom
LiquidCMS - Content Management Solution Experts
Peter Lindstrom
LiquidCMS - Content Solution Experts
Perhaps
We have Mac OS X computers at the checkout desks. We've gone ahead and started building our online store out of UberCart for Drupal. We'd like to see the e-comm portion be UberCart, and we're certainly receptive to some existing POS system being integrated into that to handle the POS locations.
So, is what you're proposing something that could be involved with what we're doing?
Went with Zen Cart for now
I ended up using Zen Cart for credit card processing for now. Upon successful charge, the user is given the id and login for the drupal site.
I would like to do all of this from within Drupal however... using payflow pro or authorize.net
I am using 5.x